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It was around Christmas 1977 when Elvis Costello first appeared on American TV. A last minute fill-in for the Sex Pistols on Saturday Night Live, Costello was scheduled to play his big FM hit "Less Than Zero" and gain that crucial exposure to millions. He and his band, the Attractions, started the song routinely — and then stopped abruptly, several bars into it. Elvis said something terse about it not making any sense to play that song, here.
Immediately, they launched into "Radio, Radio," a vitriolic, on-target anthemic diatribe against complacent album rock radio — the very type of stations that were making Costello new wave's star and ignoring the harder edged music of the Sex Pistols. It was a bold maneuver and one of the most exciting musical moments ever on television. For three minutes, all the pre-planning and camera blocking went awry; live television was really live and electric — and angry.
I met Costello at the Rat in May 1978 after his Orpheum gig and asked him about it. Radio was playing the song fiercely. "Well," he said with a sly smirk, "I figured either they wouldn't play it at all or a lot of them would play it figuring it didn't mean them." Of course, it did. The right side won.
At the Orpheum last night, Costello kicked into a proud, frenetic rendition of "Radio, Radio." And though it may mean even more now, something was missing. It may even be something as simple as the combination of Costello's broad acceptance and the nature of his recent work. What was a kick of thoughtful, fresh adrenaline three years ago is Costello's style now. Costello adheres to a form and, although he'll occasionally veer off toward country and western or reggae, his songs are mostly punchy and poppy — epigrammatic attempts for the direct hit. But what was great, has settled into being merely good.
But Costello shows signs of becoming a craftsman, an artist skilled at his trade.
There's long been the threat that Costello would turn into the superstar of new wave, which is pretty much a contradiction in terms. Last night, there was danger. But it wasn't the teasing threat of a potentially unguided missile as it was at the same venue in 1978. It was the threat that Costello had found a niche, and was perhaps too comfortable with his music.
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